Under Pressure we Don’t Rise to the Challenge, We Fall Back on the Level of our Training
I'm currently taking a Peloton 3-day split program with Tunde, and I'm on week 5 of repeating the program, and at the beginning of the 3rd class in the program, she says: under pressure, we don't rise to the challenge — we fall back on the level of our training.
Tunde was referring to physical training, but I think it's also applicable to mental training.
For example, when something doesn't go your way, when you're in a difficult season, or when you're navigating a challenging relationship or situation, you don't suddenly become a different person that's able to magically deal with it. You default to whatever you've practiced.
So what are you practicing?
Positivity Is a Skill, Not a Personality Trait
I'm not sure about you, but positive thinking isn't my default. It's something I have to train. Similar to building muscle. I don't just have strong muscles, I have to consistently train, lifting heavy weights, every week. What if I didn't lift weights, and tomorrow I wanted to lift my groceries out of the trunk, or pick up my child, or shovel dirt to make a new garden. You don't wait until you need to lift something heavy to start building strength — you build it in the small, everyday reps so it's there when you need it. Daily positivity works the same way. It's training for the moments when being positive feels really hard. Practice it on the small stuff, and over time it becomes your default response when the big stuff hits. Start small. The second your feet touch the ground in the morning, say one thing you're grateful for in your head. After a few days of this, you may notice that it becomes easier to find things you're grateful for throughout your day. Every time you choose a grateful, positive thought over the automatic negative one, that's a rep.
A quick note: positive thinking isn't about pretending everything is fine or ignoring how you feel. Hard emotions are real and valid. This is about building a stronger mental baseline to fall back on, alongside the other pillars of wellness — nourishing food, quality sleep, stress management, and movement. And if low mood sticks around or feels heavy, please reach out to your doctor or a mental health professional. That's strength, too.
Join Me for the Winter Positive Pushup Challenge
Ready to start training? Here's how it works.
If you catch yourself complaining about the weather (or anything else you can't control - I've recently added my kid's early weekend morning and Friday & Saturday night hockey practices to that list)— out loud to someone, or even just in your head — drop and give me 25 pushups.
Ottawa winters give us plenty of chances to practice. Every pushup is a built-in pattern interrupt: it stops the negative thought in its tracks, builds physical strength, and trains your brain to notice the complaint before it takes over.
Need to scale it? Pushups on your knees, or with your hands elevated on a counter or bench, absolutely count. The point is the pause and the practice, not perfection.
Over time you'll catch yourself sooner, complain less, and find that choosing a positive perspective gets easier — because you trained for it.
Who's in? Let me know in the comments or send me a message and tell me you're joining the challenge. 🌿
I’m Lauren - an RHN helping women 40+ nourish their bodies, build strength, balance hormones, and create healthy habits that actually stick. My approach is rooted in consistency over perfection, and setting up solid systems because small changes, repeated over time, lead to big results. Ready to FLOURISH? Learn more about my program: FLOURISH PROGRAM
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